Self-lubricating pitman



March 22 1927.

Original F ned Jan. 14. 1920 :s sums-sheet 1' mil! March 22 1927. 1,621,976

"r. M. FINLEY ET AL SELF LUBRICATING PITMAN Original Filed Jan. 14 1920 s $heets$heet2 I: II: I i :1: l:

March 1927.

T. M. FINLEY ET AL SELF LUBRICATING. PITMAN Originai Filed Jan. 14. 1920 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Mar. 22, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT THOMAS M. IEINLEY AND ALLEN W. BROWN, O13" LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SELF-LUBBIC'A'IING: PI'IMAN.

Originalapplication filed January 1.4, 1920, Serial No. 351,34.-6. Divided and; this application filed January 27, 1920. Serial No. 354,454.

The invention relates to a self lubricating pitman and is a division of an application filed by us this 14th day of January, 1920, SerialNo. 351,346.

The object of the present invention is to provide. a simple, practical and etficient self lubricating pitman of strong, durable and comparatively inexpensive construction designed particularly for use on internal comhustion engines but adapted to be advantageously employed on the connecting rod of. any similar engine or motor and capable ofisplashing or flowing or throwing upward a. portion. of the lubricant within the crank case and of catching-the said lubricant and of feeding, the same to the upper and lower bearings of the connecting rod or pitinan whereby the upper and lower or inner and outer connecting rod bearings will be maintained "n a. properly lubricated condition.

It is also an object of the invention to equip the pitman or connecting rod with alubricant receptacle. adapted to catch and retain the. lubricant and. permit the same to pass. inwardly into: it at the top and sides and-preventing; the lubricant from escaping from it so that the lubricant will be fed to the bearings of the connecting. rod or pitman.

With these and. other objects in View, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying, drawings and pointed out in the; claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction within the scope. of the claims may be resorted to without departing. from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of; the invention.

In the drawings, in which like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in. the several figures:

Figure. 1 is a vertical, sectional View of a. cylinder and piston provided with a self lubricating; connecting rod or pitinan constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2. isa front elevation of the connecting: rod or pitman.

Figure? is aside elevation of the same.

Figures 4 and 5 are detail views of. the bushing of the lower bearing.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional View of. the connecting rod or pitman Flgures 7 and 8 are detail Views. of a threaded plug.

Figure 9 is a detail view of the tapered receptacle. I

The self-lubricating pitman or connecting rod 1 which is designed. for use in connection with, the tandem motor power unit of'the aforesaid. application may of course be employed in various types of engines and moore.

The connecting rod 1 which is ho llow to form a lubricant passage 2 is providedwith upper and lower hearings 3' and; 4:. and the said lubricant passage extends from theupper bearing to the lower bearing. and ispreferably tapered or domeshaped at the top at 5 and upwardly diverging. bores or branch passages 6 extend from the dome-shaped top to the upper bearing 3. 1

This. arrangement provides inclined surfaces for the lubricant and facilitatesthe flow of the samefromthe-upper-bearing-to the lower bearing.v The upper hearing recomes a pivot pin 'K which extends from. the upper end. of the connecting rod. and has: its terminal: portions arranged in bearings 8. of a piston The upper end of the connecting rod 'isenlarged as shown and fits snugly between the side bearingsS-of the piston. 91.

The hollow connecting rod is provided at the lower end of the passage Qwith threads 10 and a threaded plug 1-1- isscrewed-intothe lower end of the passage 2.. Theplug which 1s provided in its lower face with a groove12 to receive a suitable tool: to enable it tobe readily screwed into and out of the lower threaded. end. of the passage 2,, is provided with. upper and lower concavities13 and. 14 and it has a central opening 15 for-the passage of the lubricant to permit thesameto flow to the lower hearing t. The recessing of the upper and lower faces of the threaded plug provides upper andlower concavefaces which. permit the readyflow of the lubricant to and from the central opening; or pas- 100 sage 15.

The. lower hearing, 4. is sectional}; being provided with a removable lower section 16 detachably secured by bolts 17 and nuts 18 to the upper section which is formed in the lower end of the connecting rod. A bushing 19 of bronze or other suitable material is arranged within the lower bearing and a bushing or sleeve 20 of similar material is ar ranged within the upper bearing. The lower bushing or sleeve is provided at its side with annular flanges 21 and it is also provided at the bottom with slots 22 which register with slots 23 in the lower detachable section of the lower bearing 4. These slots or grooves 22 and 23 are adapted to catch, retain and carry upward a portion of the lubricant contained within the crank case of the engine so that at each revolution of the crank shaft some of the lubricant will be thrown upward to the upper end of the connecting rod. The slots or grooves also permit the lubricant passing through the connecting rod to flow through the lower bearing back to the crank case or to the slots or grooves and to be again thrown upward. V

The lubricant thrown upward by the connecting rod is caught by a tapered or funnel shaped receptacle 24 having a neck portion 25 which ismounted in a central opening 26 in the upper bearing. The lubricant receptacle 24; which catches a portion of the lubricant is provided at its sides with perforations or apertures 26 preferably formed by punching the material from the exterior to provide inwardly extending projections or spurs 27 which prevent lubricant going down the inner faces of the walls of the receptacle 24 from passing outward through the openings or apertures 26 to the exterior of the receptacle. This construction permits the lubricant to enter the receptacle through the perforations or apertures but prevents escape of the lubricant through the said apertures or perforations. The upper bushing 20 is provided with openings 28 and 29 for the passage of the lubricant which is adapted to flow around the upper pin 7 and a portion of the lubricant will. flow downward through the passage 2 and lubricate the crank pin 30 of the crank shaft 31. The lower or inner bushing is provided with an aperture'32 to permit the lubricant to pass from the passage 2'and the opening 15 to the crank bend or crank pin of the crank shaft. In practice a suflicient amount of lubricant will be splashed or thrown upwardly and caught by the receptacle to efficiently lubricate the upper and lower bearings of the connecting rods.

\Vhat is claimed is:

1. In a splash system, a connecting rod arranged substantially vertically and having upper and lower bearings and provided with a longitudinal lubricant passage connecting the said bearings to permit lubricant to pass from the upper bearing to the lower bearing the lower end of the pitman rod having a slotarranged to catch lubricant and throw the same upwardly, said slot also communicating with the lower bearing and forming an outlet for the lubricant passage to permit lubricant to flow therefrom to the exterior of the pitman and a receptacle carried by the upper end of the pitman and arranged to catch lubricant splashed upwardly by the lower end of the pitman and feed the said lubricant to the bearings.

2. A device of the class described, includ ing a connecting rod, and a tapered receptacle carried by the connecting rod and adapted to catch lubricant thrown by the said rod, said receptacle being provided in its sides with perforations.

3. A device of the class described, including a connecting rod, and a tapered receptacle carried by the. connecting rod and adapted to catch lubricant thrown by the said rod, said. receptacle being provided in its sides with perforations and having proections or spurs extending inwardly from the perforations.

4. A device of the class described, including a hollow connecting rod provided with upper and lower bearings and having a passage extending from the upper to the lower bearing, a receptacle mounted on the upper end of the connecting rod for catching and feeding lubricant to the upperbearing and a threaded plug screwed into the hollow at the lower end thereof and having a lubricant passage.

5. A device of the class described, including a hollow connecting rod having upper and lower bearings and provided with inclined passages extending from the upper bearing and a plug secured in the lower end of the connecting rod and having a passage leading to the lower bearing.

6. A device of the class described, including a connecting rod having a passage extending from one end to the other of the said rod and a plug secured in the passage and having concave upper and lower faces and provided also with an opening forming a passage extending from one of the said faces to the other.

7. A device of the class described, includ ing a hollow connecting rod having a passage extending from one end to the other and PFOXltlQCl at its terminals with bearings, said connecting rods being provided at one end of the said passage with a substantially dome-shaped wall and having branch passages leading therefrom to the bearing at one end of the rod and a plug arranged within the said passage at the other end of the rod and having concave faces and provided also with an opening forming a passage connecting the said faces.

8. A device of the class described including a vertical connecting rod having a passage extending from one end to the other with the said lower means the sole means and connecting the bearings of the said rod, for feeding the lubricant t0 the passage of means carried by the lower end of the rod the connecting rod.

for splashing the lubricant upward, and In testimony whereof We afi ix our signameans carried by the upper end of the rod tul'es.

for catching the lubricant and feeding the THOMAS MILTON FINLEY. same to the said passage and constituting ALLEN W. BROWN. 

